A Long Way From Home Pt2
by Lynnette Smith
Summary: When Ben kills a member of the notorious Thompson gang during an attempted bank robbery, he has no idea of the danger in which he has placed his son. ~ Pt.2


A Long Way From Home Pt.2  
  
Disclaimer: Bonanza and it's original characters are owned by David Dortort and NBC. Any resemblance of any extra characters added by myself is purely coincidental.  
  
Synopsis: When Ben kills a member of the notorious Thompson gang during an attempted bank robbery, he has no idea of the danger in which he has placed his son.  
  
Note: I would recommend reading the first part of this story before reading the second part.  
  
****Dan Thompson paced the floor of the cabin. His gaze came to rest on the bolted door at the corner of the room. He was getting uneasy. It had been four days and he knew that a posse was still out looking for him. Suddenly the front door opened.  
  
"I was beginning to wonder if something had happened pa," Dan was the first to talk. "When are we going to get rid of the kid and head on out of here?" He asked. "When I say so," Jeb said with a little hostility.  
  
He was in no mood to argue. He had been out towards the Ponderosa and he didn't like how many men he saw. He knew that they would have to be on their way soon if they didn't want to be found.  
  
"I don't understand why we didn't just kill him right off and leave him for the old man to find." Jimmy, the younger of the two Thompson boys said. "And that was the original intent," Jeb replied. "But then I got to thinking, that would be to easy and why would I make it any easier on Cartwright for what he did to me?"  
  
Dan looked at his father in a look of obvious question. Jimmy on the other hand a smile on his face that was widening by the minute. "So," Jeb continued. "I figured if I had to watch my son die.." "...Then he should have to watch his son die," Jimmy finished." You know pa you always were one for great plans.""...So what I thought we'd do," Jeb once again continued."Is get Ben Cartwright alone and somehow lore him here."  
  
Dan wouldn't say it out loud but he was getting nervous. Sure in the beginning he too had wanted revenge for the killing of his brother but now he wasn't so sure. He had been there when his brother was shot and he knew it had been self-defense but he knew he couldn't think about that now he had to prove himself to his father and his brother. He had never killed anyone before and if he backed out of this one he would be betraying his family especially Cal.  
  
**********Joe couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been listening to every word the Thompson's were saying from the dark room. He knew that he had to do something. He couldn't let them lore his Pa here. He had to somehow escape. But how?  
  
He was getting worse by the hour and he had been in and out of conscientious so often that he wasn't even sure how many days had passed since he had been captured. But as he was thinking this, one thought kept returning to his mind. He couldn't let anything happen to his pa. He had to escape.  
  
**********Adam rode on aimlessly. He wasn't even sure of what he was doing or were to look. One thought was driving him and that was that Joe had to be out there somewhere and Adam had to find him. He had passed one of the ranch hands, John Carter, on his way and had asked him to inform his pa and his brother that he was going to work at one of the mines for a while and not to worry about him, he would return in a couple of weeks.  
  
He felt bad about leaving his family right now when they needed each other most but he had to know. As long as he thought that Joe might be out there he couldn't just sit at home. He would continue to search for Joe no matter how long it took, he just had to be sure.  
  
**********Ben Cartwright sat at his desk consumed by worry. John Carter had just stopped by and re-laid the message from Adam to him. His first reaction was anger. How could Adam just leave like this when Ben needed him around the ranch? He just lost a son and he needed Adam and Hoss to be around. But his anger soon turned to worry. It wasn't like Adam to just go off, but then again they all had never had to face the loss of a brother or son. He knew Adam and Hoss both just needed some time alone.  
  
Hoss hadn't come out of Joe's room since the night before when Ben had to practically drag him to the dinner table for supper but even then Hoss wouldn't eat much. Ben hadn't eaten or slept for that matter himself for a couple of days now. He only hoped that God would help them through their sorrow right now and that this tragedy wouldn't tear their family apart.  
  
**********Hoss hadn't moved since the night before. He couldn't tear himself away from Joe's room. He had just sat in the chair in the corner of the room all night staring at the empty bed of his youngest brother.  
  
It was now 9:00 in the morning. Hoss chuckled to himself as he thought about how every morning at this time they were usually having to drag Joe out of bed. Like their father, Adam and Hoss had always been early risers in the morning. Adam was always one to make sure that he got an early start on his chores in the morning and Hoss was the same. But their little brother did not share in their enthusiasm for work that early in the morning. Hoss knew that Joe always pulled his weight when it came to work on the ranch though, maybe even more. Joe had gone on a number of the last cattle drives, had repaired several of the line shacks over the last few days before their father's return from his trip, and had even managed to find enough time to break a few of the stallions from the string of horses they had recently acquired.  
  
Adam and Joe had been getting along quite well while their pa had been gone. Of course Joe had been working mostly with Hoss though. After Ben had been gone for a week Adam had received a telegram saying that there was a problem at one of the mines. A level of the mine had caved in and some help was needed to free the men that were trapped inside. Adam had gathered many of the ranch hands and had headed towards the mine leaving Hoss and Joe in charge of the ranch for the five days that he had been gone.  
  
Hoss and Joe had enjoyed working together during that week. It seemed as though he and Joe never argued. What Hoss didn't enjoy was having to haul Joe out of bed every day. It had become an every day chore ever since Joe was little and had to be drug out of bed every day for school. He couldn't remember how many times he had complained about it to Joe, now he wished everything was the way it was a week ago and he was having to haul Joe out of bed today.  
  
Tears sprang to Hoss's eyes as thoughts of his baby brother, his short shanks, flooded his mind. He had no regrets. He and Joe had been so close and had gotten along so well. They were never afraid to share with each other their hopes and their plans for the future.  
  
Hoss only wished that he had had more time. It just wasn't right. Joe was just 24 years old with his whole life in front of him. He would never have the chance to get married and have children of his own like Hoss knew Joe had wanted. Only last week, Joe had showed Hoss an old house on the West corner of the Ponderosa that they had once built for their old foreman and his wife. When the foreman's wife had died of the fever last spring, their foreman had told them that he needed to move on so he had packed up and headed to San Francisco to find a new job away from the memories of his wife. Joe had said that he hoped to fix up the old house and maybe add an extra room or two so that when he got married he could live right on the Ponderosa. The three brothers had always shared in the dream of continuing with the building of the Ponderosa so that their children and generations of Cartwright's after would always find a home there. Now it looked as if Joe would never be able to take part in that dream.  
  
Tears streamed down Hoss's face now as grief overwhelmed him. He buried his head in his hands as sobs shook him.  
  
**********Joe awoke as the sound of a key unlocking the door to his 'prison' jolted him awake from unconsciousness. He was unaware of how long he had been out but he guessed that it must have been a few hours. The door opened and one of his captors walked in with what seemed to be a tray. The light from the lantern the man was also carrying stung Joe's eyes and it was a moment before his eyes could adjust.  
  
When Joe's eyes became clear he looked at the man setting the tray of food on the floor a few feet away from him. It was the youngest of the gang. "Pa told me to give you this grub but that don't mean I'm about to untie your hands so if you want it your gonna have to crawl for it."Jimmy sneered.  
  
What Jimmy didn't know was that Joe had been working at the ropes tied around his ankles and had managed to slip one foot out of the ropes. A plan began to form in his mind and suddenly he lunged at a surprised Jimmy knocking him to the ground . The lantern crashed to the ground and the flames caught fire to Jimmy's sleeve. Jeb and Dan came rushing into the room at the sound of Jimmy's screams. Jeb yanked Joe off of Jimmy as Dan grabbed a blanket and began to pound out the flames first on his brother than on the floor.  
  
Dan helped Jimmy to his feet. "I'll kill you Cartwright," Jimmy yelled. He seized Joe by his injured arm and punched him twice in the stomach before Jeb and Dan grabbed a hold of him and held him back. Joe fell to the floor unconscious. "Tie him up again and this time make sure he's bound tight," Jeb ordered Dan as he led Jimmy out of the room.  
  
**********Adam awoke with a start. Glancing up at the sky and the position of the sun he guessed that it must be 10:00 in the morning. He cursed at himself for sleeping so late. Adam had wanted to keep looking last night but he knew that he wasn't going to find Joe if he didn't get any sleep. Even now he felt as if he hadn't slept in days and really he hadn't. Last night was the first time he had stopped for rest ever since he had left the ranch four days ago.  
  
Adam knew that he wasn't getting anywhere in his search. Up until this point he had searched all of the passes that horses could ride through and even most of the old passes that hadn't been used by neither man nor beast in years but still he found nothing.  
  
After Adam had packed up his supplies, he remounted Sport and set off towards the line shack that Joe had been working on just five mornings ago. They had never found any horse tracks other then some of Cochises outside of the shack or on any of the roads leading from the shack. Adam felt that they had to be missing something.  
  
When Adam reached the line shack he dismounted and began to look around. It seemed so cold and dark all of the sudden, he hated this place. He went inside and glanced around the inside of the shack. He knew he wasn't going to find anything in here. Roy Coffee and the posse had already scoured the place for any clue to Joe's whereabouts.  
  
Adam stepped back out into the doorway his gaze turned down to the floor. Some of the sheriff's men had been kind enough to clean the blood off of the floor so that the Cartwright's or their hired hands, many of them good friends of Joe's, wouldn't have to do it. No amount of scrubbing however could hide what had once been there and Adam's stomach lurched as he looked at the wood now stained red.  
  
Adam quickly stepped outside slamming the door behind him as he walked over to Sport. He didn't think he could ever go in there again. The sight of the blood had haunted him ever since that terrible morning. He suddenly felt sick again and he grabbed onto Sport's saddle to keep himself from falling.  
  
He breathed in the fresh air and after a few moments he was again able to stand on his own again. He felt so hopeless and discouraged as tears stung his deep brown eyes. He didn't know where to even look anymore. He wanted desperately to find his little brother but it seemed as though he and the men that had took him had completely disappeared. He had tried to remain optimistic about the situation but despair was finally setting in.  
  
He gave a last glance around the shack. There were three paths leading from the shack. One on either side of it and one leading right up to the front. Behind the shack there was nothing but a wooded area that Adam knew reached a ways and then beyond that, miles and miles of desert.  
  
Suddenly an idea struck Adam. No one would ever try to get a horse through the thick over growth of trees and underbrush in the backwoods behind the shack. That is no one, except someone trying to cover their tracks. Another thought suddenly came to Adam. Beyond the woods, he knew of a shack a couple of miles into the desert. An old hermit once lived there but he had died some time ago leaving the building an old abandoned shack.  
  
This new idea renewed the hope in Adam and he quickly remounted and headed toward the woods.  
  
**********Joe was in and out of consciousness the rest of the morning. Visions of his father and brothers flashed through his head as tears streamed down his face. He had to get home. He couldn't let anything happen to his pa.  
  
Joe forced himself up to a sitting position. Fever ravaged his body and his arm once again felt like it was on fire from the mistreatment he had suffered earlier. Through gritted teeth, Joe managed to drag himself a few feet across the room. His body screamed in pain and he struggled to keep from vomiting.  
  
Joe finally reached where the shards of glass from the broken lantern lay. In all of the commotion they hadn't thought to clean it up. His plan had worked. Joe picked up one of the larger pieces of glass and began to work at his ropes.  
  
It seemed as if hours had passed when Joe finally cut through the ropes. He could now add sliced up hands to his list of injuries. His strength was declining and it took him some time to untie the rope around his ankles. Now there was nothing to do but sit and wait. He would have to figure out some way to surprise his captors. The next time they tried to enter the room, he would be waiting.  
  
**********Ben was worried now. It had been four days since Adam had left. He was beginning to think about going up to the mine that John Carter had told him that Adam would be at. Just then, Ben heard a horse trot into the yard. Ben knew that it had to be his oldest son but when he opened the door he realized that it wasn't Adam but it was Matt Smith, one of the workers up at the mine north of Virginia City- the same mine that Adam was supposed to be working at.  
  
"Matt Smith! What a pleasant surprise,"Ben said trying to sound convincing, he had really hoped it would be Adam." What brings you down here?" Ben enquired. "Well Mr. Cartwright, we're pretty short handed up at the mine right now and I was hoping Adam or Hoss and any ranch hands you could spare could come and help us out. I can understand if your busy with everything that's happened lately and all but sometimes a man needs a little work to get his mind off his troubles."  
  
Ben's face turned to question. " You mean Adam's not up at the mine already?"Ben asked "No," Matt replied, "I can't say that I've seen Adam for some time. Was he supposed to be up at the mine Mr. Cartwright?" "John Carter stopped by a few days ago and said that Adam had told him that he was going to work up at the mine North of Virginia City." Ben replied with concern growing in his voice." It worries me that he never showed up."  
  
" Maybe John heard him wrong or maybe he just decided to go up to one of the other mines. I could check the other mines if you want Mr. Cartwright," Matt offered.  
  
"Thanks Matt, I'd appreciate it if you would. After you check the other mines please make sure to send me word whether you find him or not." "Of course Mr. Cartwright. I'll ride in and personally tell you myself." "Thanks again Matt. I'm very grateful for the help." Ben said as Matt left the house. Remounting his horse, he rode out of the yard.  
  
Ben wasn't about to wait to hear word from Matt. Somehow he didn't think that Adam was up at one of the other mines and Ben wasn't one to sit around, he would go look for Adam. He prayed silently that nothing had happened to him. He didn't think he or Hoss could bear the loss of another son. Ben grabbed his gun belt and coat and headed for the door. His first thought was to check that line shack that Joe had been taken from.  
  
"I'm coming with you pa." The sudden voice surprised Ben but he didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "Hoss, I think you should stay here and..." " Pa, he's my brother," Hoss cut him off, "And from what I've heard he may need our help so there's nothing you can say to keep me here." A smile formed on Ben's face, "Actually son, I was hoping you would say that. Let's go"  
  
**********Adam was happy to finally reach the edge of the woods. It had been very difficult to get his horse through the mass of trees and brush. He knew that he was probably on the right track though for in the woods he had noticed many horse tracks and it wasn't like many people traveled through those woods.  
  
Now that Adam had reached the edge of the woods, he would be able to quicken his pace. He was trying not to get his hopes up but he couldn't stop the rapid beating of his heart. He had to keep telling himself that even if the tracks would lead him to the Thompson gang that wouldn't mean that Joe was still alive and with them. Still somehow he felt a sense of urgency and he urged his horse to a gallop.  
  
**********It had been a couple of hours before Joe heard horses ride up to the shack. He knew that the Thompson's were returning, it was time to set his plan to action. The couple hours that it had taken the Thompson's to return had given Joe time to rest and regain some of the strength he would need if he hoped to escape.  
  
He had no idea of what he was going to do. All he knew was that he was going to escape, he couldn't let anything happen to his pa. Joe positioned himself behind the door.  
  
"Check on the kid and make sure his ropes are still plenty tight. Another accident like yesterday and this whole plan will have been for nothing." Joe listened to Jeb's words through the door. He heard footsteps as one of the Thompson boys walked to the door and unlocked it. Joe tensed ready to spring at whoever came into the room.  
  
The door opened and Jimmy stepped in a look of surprise on his face at the empty room. The moment of surprise was all that Joe needed and he lunged at Jimmy knocking both of them onto the floor. Joe quickly pulled himself back on his feet. Jimmy looked to be out at least for the moment. Hearing yells from the other room Joe knew that he needed to act fast. He ran for the door just as Dan appeared with a gun in front of him. Joe dove at him and they both struggled for the gun. Just when Joe didn't think he could fight anymore the gun went off and Dan dropped to the floor. Jeb who had been out in the barn for a few moments came rushing in at the sound of the gun going off.  
  
Trying to think quick, Joe could hear Jimmy coming too in the other room just as Jeb burst through the front door blocking Joe's only exit. Suddenly he ran toward the window and charged through it falling to the ground outside amidst broken glass. Dazed with the need for escape driving him. He pulled himself once again to his feet and began to run with no idea of where he was going.  
  
**********Adam's head jerked up. He was almost sure he'd heard it. A sound that he had heard many times before, a gunshot. He urged his horse a little faster but he didn't want to go at a gallop for fear that he would be heard riding up.  
  
**********Joe kept running. He didn't really know what direction to run in. His escape seemed to have used what little strength he had left. But thoughts of home, his pa, and his brothers willed him to push on. He could hear Jimmy not far behind.  
  
Suddenly Jimmy caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. He quickly stood up and aimed his rifle at Joe. "Looks like the end of the line Cartwright," Jimmy seethed. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." Jimmy cocked his rifle. Joe didn't move and even if he had wanted to his strength was completely gone. He closed his eyes and waited for the end.  
  
The sound of a shot rang through his ears but surprisingly he didn't feel anything. "Joe?" He heard someone say. He recognized the voice and he opened his eyes. When they adjusted he found himself staring up into the concerned eyes of his brother Adam. "Joe are you all right?" Adam asked. "Adam! I've never been so happy to see anyone." Joe answered. "How did you ever find me?" "It's a long story little brother. How about we concentrate on getting you home?" "Home never sounded so good Adam." Joe answered."There was a third one Adam. Jeb Thompson." "I know," Adam replied. "Well it looks as if he made a run for it. After I heard a shot I rode towards the area I thought I had heard the sound. Just as I reached the cabin I saw a man on a horse tear out of there faster than any thing I'd ever seen. I thought of riding after him but then I heard the commotion over here. Looks like I got here just in time." " Well Adam I must say, your timing couldn't have been any better." Joe said .  
  
Adam cocked his gun at the sound of approaching horses. A look of relief flooded his face at the sight of the brown and buckskin horses. " Pa! Hoss!" Adam called. Hoss and Ben quickly dismounted and ran over to where Adam sat holding Joe. "Joe!" Was all Ben managed to say as tears began to stream down his face. He pulled Joe into his arms and held him. Adam and Hoss saddled the horses leaving father and son to their moment of reunion alone.  
  
Joe held onto his pa afraid that if he let go his pa would be gone, he would be back in that dark room, and he would find that it was all a dream. "Joseph, thank God you're all right." Ben said. He could barely speak he was so emotional. Ben was also shocked at Joe's appearance. His right shoulder was in bad shape from the bullet wound and he looked to have a fairly high fever. He also looked very exhausted and Ben knew that he needed to get Joe home.  
  
Ben carefully helped Joe to his feet and helped him over to Buck. Hoss gently assisted Joe in climbing up on the horse and Ben climbed up behind him. He held his son against him as he grabbed onto the reigns.  
  
Joe rested his head against his father's chest. He felt safe in his father's warm embrace. His family meant so very much to him and these last few days seemed only to strengthen and increase that already intense love that he felt for his pa and his brothers. Just yesterday he had begun to think that he might never see his family again but here he was now, on his way home. Home. Just the thought of the word brought tears, once again, to Joe's eyes. Never again would he take it for granite.  
  
Joe looked up at the face of his father and then around to that of each of his brothers. With his green eyes still glistening with tears and a smile spreading across his face Joe told his family the words they all wanted to hear, "Let's go home."  
  
They all rode off with joy once again in their hearts. They knew that everything would be all right, now that they were all back together again. With these thoughts they headed towards home- Ben, Adam, Hoss... and Little Joe Cartwright. A family once again.  
  
~The End~  
  
Lynnette Smith February 2003 


End file.
